The time period known as Realism occurred in America from about 1850-1900. A reaction to Romanticism, Realism is writing that presents the details of actual life. While not all of the literature from this time period is nonfiction, Realism does attempt to show characters and events in an honest way. The Civil War had a large impact on the literature written during this time period as did the Industrial Revolution.
Furthermore, Naturalism and Regionalism are also sub-genres of Realism. Naturalism states that forces larger than the individual, such as nature, fate, and heredity, shape the individual. Naturalists believed that life is controlled by heredity, economics, and our environment. Regionalism, however, focuses on the characters, dialect, customs, and other features particular to a specific region. Regionalism was later known as the "local color" movement.

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TEST review: Study the reading selections: An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge p. 480, To Build a Fire p. 596, The Story of an Hour p. 628, The Age of Innocence (movie), The Outcasts of Poker Flats (online), Frederick Douglass p. 520 excerpt in the textbook, Realism notes, Naturalism & Regionalism notes, and the literary terms. The test is multiple choice day one & short answer day two.

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PPT slides (notes from class)
note taking document

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Literary selections:

"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce p. 481

p. 596 "To Build a Fire" by Jack London: To Build a Fire text or listen to the story

"The Outcasts of Poker Flats" by Bret Harte
"The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

• Verbal irony occurs when a character states one thing and means another.
• Dramatic irony occurs when the reader knows more about a situation or character than the characters in the story do.
• Situational irony is a contrast between what the reader expects to happen and what actually happens.